Trump hints at 'action' if Hamas doesn't return hostage bodies

The bodies of 13 deceased hostages are believed to still be in Gaza.

ByKevin Shalvey, Jon Haworth, Emily Shapiro, Nadine El-Bawab, and David Brennan
Last Updated: October 24, 2025, 10:52 AM EDT

U.S. officials -- including Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner -- traveled to Israel this week for high-level meetings, discussing the next steps in the delicate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire deal by withholding the bodies of the remaining 13 deceased hostages thought to have died during or after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas has said the return of the remaining bodies "may take some time" due to the destruction.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Oct 13, 2025, 5:45 AM EDT

Israel must translate battlefield victories into lasting peace, Trump to say

President Donald Trump will say in his speech to Israel’s Knesset on Monday, “Israel has won all that can be won by force of arms. Now, it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

PHOTO: A man sits next to a cap with the words "Trump the Peace President," on the day U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, in Jerusalem, October 13, 2025.
A man sits next to a cap with the words "Trump the Peace President," on the day U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, amid a U.S.-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, October 13, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

As Gaza heads forward, Trump will say, “The total focus of Gazans must be on restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity, and economic development, so they can finally have the better life their children deserve.”

President Donald Trump smiles as he disembarks from Air Force One upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport on the outskirts of Lod near Tel Aviv on October 13, 2025, as he travels to Israel and Egypt.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

A Hamas spokesperson in a statement said the militant group welcomed Trump's address in Jerusalem, saying that "all mediators and international parties" should continue monitoring "to ensure that [Israel's] aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip is not resumed.

Oct 13, 2025, 5:44 AM EDT

Some freed hostages moving to hospitals

Some of the freed Israeli hostages are headed to hospitals to reunite with the rest of their family members and get continued medical treatment, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said.

Released Israeli hostage, Omri Miran is reunited with his wife, Lishay Miran-Lav, and father, Dani Miran, as part of a prisoner-hostage swap and a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Reim, Israel October 13, 2025.
Israel Defense Forces via Reuters

Oct 13, 2025, 5:35 AM EDT

Final 13 living hostages have crossed into Israel

The final 13 released hostages have crossed the border into Israeli territory and are headed to reunite with their families, Israeli officials said.

Oct 13, 2025, 5:22 AM EDT

Photos show Trump, Netanyahu meeting

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office released photos of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with President Donald Trump at the Knesset.

Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog earlier met Trump at the airport in Tel Aviv.

Related Topics

Sponsored Content by Taboola